The Yukon Songwriter Challenge

The Music Yukon Bell Canadian Songwriter Challenge was held in Whitehorse July 12 – 13, 2016. Chris Leudecke (Nova Scotia) and Tim O’Brien (Nashville) were made up the esteemed songwriting faculty.

The first day was held in Splintered Craft, a local youth-focused arts centre. Among group introductions, Tim and Chris each gave a summary of their approach to songwriting and provided details of their own processes, and techniques/tricks to assist with songwriting. A variety of topics were covered including co-writing and the business of songwriting.

The class then walked to a near-by park on the Yukon River, and each participant found their own space and began writing a song from scratch. Everyone then came together in a second venue, Hamilton and Son, to perform their newly created songs for each other, to visit, and to celebrate their songwriting success. Participants closed the retreat by recording demos at Bob Hamilton’s Old Crow Recording Studio.

Participants (2016)

Mentors:

Chris Leudecke (Nova Scotia)

Tim O’Brien (Nashville)

Participants:

Claire Ness

Jeremy Mitrishon

Joe Bishop

Jon Heaton

Meg Henderson

Remy Rodden

Scott Maynard

Lianne Cranfield

Gallery (2015)

Recorded Songs from Challenge (2016)

The Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations (CCMIA) is a national council representing the provincial and territorial music industry associations (MIAs) in Canada.